I want to start by saying thanks for a great and informative forum. You guys definitely know your stuff and have been an excellent reference guide for me and my first bike. So I recently bought a 82 gl1100I for 450$. I counted on having to work some on it but after changing the fluids and putting a new battery in it started and ran great for a couple of weeks. Last weekend I rode it all weekend and parked it Sunday evening and tried to start it later that night and nothing but a click. I traced the problem down to the starter and put a new one on yesterday. It's turning over again now but won't fire. I have a spark, and the battery is charged, but no go. I tried some starting fluid but it would fire briefly but that was it. I'm trying to get an idea as to where to start now, next weekend is going to be nice weather and would love to take it out for a spin. Thanks for any suggestions !!

May sound silly but is the petcock turned on? If yes, is there fuel flow? How does the inside of your gas tank look? How's the fuel filter? Just going on the assumption that if you have GOOD spark then you may not have fuel.

Yeah the petcock is on and the switch is on run. I checked the fuel filter and it had fuel in it so I'm assuming there's fuel flow.the gas tank looks okay, I didn't notice any rust or dirt when I drained the old gas and put new in when I fist got it running. Also when it was running It wasn't missing or anything so the carbs seemed okay. I have zero experience with carbs though so not certain on that. What's an easy way to check and see that the fuel is getting to the carbs?

Okay, I haven't had a chance to get out to my bike today yet but I did have the plugs out yesterday and didn't notice them being wet. Also my bike has already been converted to a blade fuse ( thankfully ) and it ohms out correctly. So next chance I get to go tinker I'll pull that fuel line and check the bowls for gas flow. I'll let you all know what I find. Thanks again for the help everyone.

So I finally decided to brave to cold and slush and go tinker with my bike. Having a winter project is difficult when you don't have a garage to work in, haha. But anyway, I pulled the fuel line going to the carbs from the fuel pump and there was some gas flowing, not much though. Should it be a trickle or an actual flow? I decided to check the fuel going into the pump and there was actually more gas going into the pump then out, is that normal? I'm trying to decide where to go next. I don't have a flow meter to check by the book if it's right but it definitely doesn't seem like much gas. I would like a second opinion before I buy a new pump though.

So I went out again today and just ran my fuel line straight from the petcock through the filter into the carbs. And after shaking the bike back and forth to force some fuel into the carbs it finally sputtered and tried to start. So I'm at about 90% sure it's not getting enough gas to the carbs through the fuel pump and ordered a new one. Now I just have to wait and hope they get it shipped to me before this weekend brings some nice riding weather.

If your bowls are full before you start the bike it should run for at least 30 40 seconds regardless of the fuel pump, not just sputter. I always try running the bike from a IV bottle when diagnosing fuel delivery problems.Hopefully the new fuel pump will solve the problem,if not try the bottle,good luck

Yeah I think I barely had enough gas in my tank to make it to the carbs, I need to try the IV method while I'm waiting on my new pump to come in the mail. Do I just use any container and siphon gas into the carbs?

Yep..I use a water/coke/ bottle that I have drilled a hole in the cap to fit a gas line.and cut the bottom off..plug in the line to #3 carb fill with gas and tie up next to the false tank..I have actually ridden around like that..not safe but it works. Key is to get a soft rubber hose that will fit the #3 carb AND..be able to push tightly into the hole you drilled in the bottle's cap.

To test your pump's out put it's a timed test..60 seconds of the pump cranking output into a measuring cup should equal at least 15oz. at 3,000 rpm's. or 30 sec 7.5...

Note did you open the pump up?? sometimes the tabs get get stuck making the gas flow less or none at all. If the diaphragm is shot, the usual problem with these pumps..gas should have been leaking out of the weep leaving a stain but the pumps usually still work just fine they just leak so a fire hazard.

Yeah i had opened the top of the pump just to check things out and the diaphragm seemed okay and I hadn't noticed a leak anywhere. I couldn't find enough info about the pump though to know how each of those ports or tabs were supposed to look and work. If you have any info on how I could check those I'd love to get this bike running this weekend instead of waiting on a part. As far as the timed test goes when I took the line off the carb and cranked it there was almost no gas coming out of it. It was just a trickle.

So I took another look at those ports and I noticed the outlet port was askew so I popped it out and fixed the spring in it. I got it all out back together and it worked! It started right up, so after it warmed up for a few and was idling without any choke I took it for a ride up to the store to top off the all gas I've lost troubleshooting, and after a few trips around the neighborhood it started missing some and losing power, and eventually dying about two blocks from my house. Soo after pushing it home I noticed it wasn't pumping fuel again.... Eventually I took the gas cap loose and lo and behold gas flow again. So I think it's a vent problem, needless to say I'm now in the market for a new cap.

On a separate note I also noticed my diaphragm was a bit dry rotted so the new fuel pump I bought won't go complety to waste.